In the field of construction in general, and in the construction and repair of walls and ceilings in particular, a common problem relates to the joining together of two adjacent sections of wallboard, drywall, plywood or the like into a contiguous, non-broken wall or ceiling. If a contiguous non-broken wall is not obtained, the fact that work has been done will not be hidden from the viewer, and the customer will not be satisfied.
Another problem in this area of construction results from the fact that, when two or more sections of sheet material are joined together, the point of joinder of the sheets of material often does not fall on or coincide with a supporting stud or beam. As a result, proper support for the sheet material is not obtained. This problem is especially prevalent when repairing holes in existing sheet material with other pieces of sheet material cut to the size of the hole being repaired. That is to say, quite often in such cases, the perimeter of the hole being repaired does not correspond with a supporting stud or beam, so that there is no support provided for the sheet material which is to be joined to the existing sheet material along the perimeter of the hole being repaired.
Thus, there is a need in the construction business for a method and device for joining pieces of sheet material in such a manner as to provide a contiguous non-broken wall so that the fact that work has been done in that area can be easily concealed from the viewer. There is also a need in the field of construction for a method and device for joining pieces of sheet material in such a manner as to provide support for the resulting combined structure, even in the absence of a supporting beam or stud at the location of the joinder.